White Portland Cement use cases; Pros and Cons

Articles > White Portland Cement use cases; Pros and Cons

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Introduction to White cement:

White Portland cement also called  White Ordinary Portland Cement (WOPC) is similar to Ordinary Portland Cement and PPC in all respects except its white color. Obtaining this color requires a radical change in the way it is made, and because of this, it is more expensive than a gray product.

Use of White Cement:

Portland white cement is used in combination with white ingredients to produce white concrete for projects to build fame and decorative work. White concrete often takes the form of precast panels, as it is not economical to use white cement for construction purposes. The cost of production of white cement as compared to OPC and PPC is much higher, therefore in ordinary construction like concrete structures, mortar, and plaster, white cement is not recommended. White cement is used only in fixing marble tiles, sheathing of walls, floors, and roofs. The white cement is also mixed with white aggregate, to construct the floor sheathing and skirting of the walls. The one and only purpose of the white cement is to give charm and decorate the surface areas of the building. White cement is also added to lime for a whitewash. The combination of white cement increases the adhesive characteristic of the lime.

Advantages of White Cement:

1. Thermal insulation of concrete made of White Portland Cement is better than other types of cement.
2. White cement is a good reflector to the light. It not only gives good looking and charm to the building, but also it saves energy to enlighten the interior and exterior of the building.
3. Products of white cement can be recycled and reused in other products at the end of their useful life.
4. White cement can be applied as wall putty in order to fill the uneven surface of the wall before applying paints to the wall.
5. The white cement can be used instead of white paint or lime or other whitewash material.
6. White cement can be used to set the top roof pavers, road and street pavers, marble tiles, and ceramic tiles.  
7. White cement has a strong waterproof effect. We need not any waterproofing coating on the structure.
8. The structures made of White cement are able to withstand the highest temperature.

Disadvantages of White Cement:

1. White Portland Cement is four times costlier than ordinary Portland cement.
2. The strength of white cement is lower than that of ordinary Portland Cement and Pozzolana Portland Cement.
3. White Portland Cement can not be used in concrete structures, as it has less compressive tension.
4. Setting time White Portland Cement is very short, masons should be frisky while setting it.

How is the white cement manufactured?

The manufacturing process of White Cement is quite similar to that of Ordinary Portland Cement. The process of manufacturing White Cement is involved in reducing the effectiveness of cement due to the addition of impurities. White-colored pigments are added in grey cement without affecting the cementing characteristics of the cement. The procedure of preparing white cement involves the following six stages:

1. Crushing?Carbonate composition makes extensive use of basic crushing. Since a large amount of oxide dye is concentrated in fine particles, it is best to remove fine particles before applying them to a cement crusher. The clay ingredients are often ground separately.
2. Cement raw materials grinding: The white cement requires a finer size than OPC. Most of the cement raw material is ground by means of a cement mill.
3. Homogenization: only homogenized raw materials are promised to be heterogeneous at the microscopic level. The homogenization is very important to the white cement manufacturing process, its multi-component mixtures are generally more prone to segregation than raw materials used in the gray cement production lines.
4. Clinker production: There are various combinations of preheating and calcining systems, and which process is better depends on whether the existing plant needs to be rebuilt and how much the plant operators invest in the construction. The cement rotary kiln and cyclone preheater are the recommended group here.
5. Cement grinding: Cement is composed of the cement clinker and thickening control agents. Gypsum is used as a thickening time control agent in the manufacturing of White Cement. Clinker and gypsum are ground in the grinding machine to produce the fine cement powder. Which is the finished form of the white cement.
6. Packing and shipping: The finished cement powder is packed in cement bags and pouches. The bags/ pouches are, then shipped to the market.

 

 

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Read also:

• SRPC (cement), chemical composition, pros and cons of SRPC.
• Ordinary Cement use cases; Pros and Cons
• Section Properties of Reinforcing Bars & Cement Types
• Portland Pozzolana Cement use cases; Pros and Cons
• Rapid Hardening Cement (RHC) use cases; Pros and Cons

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